ACPAtmospheric Chemistry and PhysicsACPAtmos. Chem. Phys.1680-7324Copernicus GmbHGöttingen, Germany10.5194/acp-10-1899-2010The municipal solid waste landfill as a source of ozone-depleting substances in the United States and United KingdomHodsonE. L.13MartinD.24PrinnR. G.11Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA2School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK3now at: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zuercherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland4now at: Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, Environmental Change Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland1902201010418991910This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/This article is available from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/10/1899/2010/acp-10-1899-2010.htmlThe full text article is available as a PDF file from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/10/1899/2010/acp-10-1899-2010.pdf

This study provides observation-based national estimates of CFC-11, CFC-12,
CFC-113, and 1,1,1-trichloroethane emissions for the United States (US) and
United Kingdom (UK) from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. The scarcity
of national estimates has lead to the assumption that a significant fraction
of the lingering ozone-depleting substance (ODS) emissions, which have been
detected in industrialized countries, could be emitted from landfills.
Spatial coverage was achieved through sampling at seven landfills in
Massachusetts and through data provided by nine UK landfills. Linear least
square regressions of recovered ODS vs. CH<sub>4</sub> were used in combination
with national estimates of landfill CH<sub>4</sub> emissions to estimate 2006
national US and UK ODS landfill emissions. The ODS landfill emission
estimates were then compared to recent estimates of total US and UK ODS
emissions. US ODS landfill emissions are 0.4%–1% (0.006–0.09 Gg/year)
of total US emissions. UK ODS landfill emission estimates are 1%
(0.008 Gg/year) and 6% (0.03 Gg/year) of total UK CFC-11 and CFC-12
emissions, respectively. This indicates that landfills are only a minor
source of lingering ODS emissions in the US, but may be more significant for
CFC-12 emissions in the UK. The implication is that the majority of current
ODS emissions in industrialized countries is likely coming from equipment
still in use.